Diamond Earrings

2019-05-07T04:23:49Z

EngagementRings8683: 새 문서: INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDER OF BASHFORD JEWELLERY Meet Mildred Stephens, A third-generation jeweler, Mildred was born and raised in the Philippines. Her parents immigrated to the Unit...

INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDER OF BASHFORD JEWELLERY

Meet Mildred Stephens, A third-generation jeweler, Mildred was born
and raised in the Philippines. Her parents immigrated to the United States
in search of greater opportunity, leaving Mildred and her brother behind
with a grandparent. When everything was in order she came to America,
her parents strong work ethic in hand determined to take full advantage
of the opportunities, to live the American dream.
Mildred’s experiences left her focused on family, community,
environment and opportunity -- values that underpinned the founding of
Bashford Jewelry in 2013. Today, Mildred oversees operations at
Bashford from her base in Seattle. She picks her craftsmen as carefully as
she does her gemstones. She recognizes that the path to a growing
business is paved with sustainability, quality components, equal parts
craftsmanship and artistry, and unsurpassed service from first click to
delivery.

How retailers and consumers evaluate different ethical products
I believe that our ethics come from the influences that shaped us in our
lives. I grew up in a household for which the jewelry industry was always
a part of our lives. So, I have always heard the stories about blood
diamonds as well as the issues faced with child labor, poorly paid workers
and horrible working conditions.
As I got into the industry myself, I also started to focus on ethically
conscious supplies for my jewelry. I couldn’t reconcile the Kimberly
Process because it only focused on whether the sale of diamonds was
fueling wars. We focus on more than what is considered conflict
diamonds by the Kimberly Process. We are concerned about the human
rights abuses and environmental degradation. And this is in part due to
my upbringing but also because of who I am as a person today and the
legacy I want to leave behind.

Some retailers will focus on ethically made vs ethically sourced because
this allows for greater flexibility in where diamonds come from.
In my estimation, for some consumers, ‘ethical jewelry’ is trendy and
social media and marketing has made this so. So, even if they are not
actually interested in ethical gems and precious stones, to be able to say
that their jewelry was ethically-sourced is a talking point.
On the other hand, there are people who are genuinely interested in
where their diamonds come from and the process by which they were
mined. We want to appeal to both those demographic and educate those
who are not aware of the issues in the industry.

“Ethical havens” – productions sites favored for their ethical credentials
– are formed and challenged over time
I think ethical havens sprang up because of the limitations of the Kimberly
Process. There were reports of conflict diamonds making their way into
the general market and so companies saw a way to make their brand
stand out from the rest.
Marketing of Canada as the ‘ethical haven’ for sourcing diamonds did play
a role in our decision to take our diamonds only from Canada at this time.
We were worried about the reported conflicts between local Canadian
indigenous groups and the diamond companies. But, we liked the fact
that the oversight and regulatory bodies are independent, and that the
companies are required to restore the environment when a mine is
closed. And that there are processes in place to track and trace a
diamond from mine to retail.
I think this in part allows ethical havens to continue because they have
set up the necessary structures to give people what they want – peace of
mind that they can trace the origins of their diamonds. This is something
the Kimberly Process has seriously fallen short of over the years and
which has led to the negative stigma with African based diamonds.
I also understand why such havens are being challenged because they
seem to exclude other markets, especially those that have suffered with

conflicts diamonds. This is also part of the reason to support genuine
initiatives aimed at restoring credibility to the markets and developing
sustainable production.
Types of ethical considerations that go in retailers and consumers’
evaluations
Not all consumers are interested in the nitty gritty of ethical
consumerism. They are ok with hearing that a company is keeping them
safe from tarnishing their product. So, we take the responsibility seriously
to allow them that peace of mind.
I believe that the feeling of wanting to do no harm also influences
consumers’ choices. And they make these decisions based on the
knowledge available to them. They may want to voluntarily participate in
making what they consider the right choice and doing something good in
the world, even if it is simply knowing that part of a sale goes towards
benefiting a worthy cause. This is something that a lot of corporations
have embraced. Consumers may not voluntarily give but they will readily
support a company that does.
For retailers, it can be a little different. Profit, unfortunately, plays a part
in some of those brands that market themselves as ethical. For others,
especially those that are not part of large chains, it is based on the
owners’ personal ethical standards. And these are the companies that
pay more attention to the ethical sourcing and processing of diamonds.
Part of the reason for choosing Canadian diamonds is that ethically
conscious consumers already know about them and are predisposed to
them already. And most of all we are satisfied with their local processes.

The organizations and sources of information that are influential
The companies themselves in the industry are quite influential. They are
providing the information about what is happening to consumers and can
influence the most. Organizations that are working to make a difference
are often limited in scope and budget. And because most are non-profit,

it becomes difficult for them to show the world what they are doing and
to influence change on a macro level.
Therefore, it is left to the retailers to market the industry and influence
people’s perception over time.
How ethical orientations may be influenced and change over time
Look at the current situation with Leonardo DiCaprio and his ethically lab
created diamonds. As an influential actor promoting this type of diamond
business, he is in a position to influence the ethical orientations of this
generation, same as he did in his movie on blood diamonds.
So, the types of persons leading or who are at the forefront of shifts
greatly influence the process.
A large influencer would be needed to help transform the perception of
the situation in for example Africa where the Diamond Development
Imitative is working towards building sustainable and ethical diamond
practices. With their work, eventually it will be easier to shift the negative
stigma of all African diamonds as unethically produced but it will take
time to make an impact.
Public policy debates on ethical market access and outcomes for
countries and firms alike
Canada is a prime example of public policy debate affecting ethical
market access and making a positive contribution to the industry. With
independent oversight, governance issues can be addressed to develop
and maintain relevant standards in an industry. It may not be supported
by all, but the human rights and environmental issues are being
addressed.
Within the African region, the Kimberley Process is working to build those
countries that have been negatively affected with conflict diamonds. [https://bashfordjewelry.com Diamond Earrings] But
governance still poses a challenge as well as enforcement and
transparent processes. Public policy debates can highlight the issues and
provide ideas to help. But without the resources and the people
dedicated to carrying out the changes, we will always have new ideas for

ethical diamonds and sources of ethical diamonds to contemplate with
while the rest of the industry continues to suffer through the atrocities.
How do countries/individuals gain ethical consumer’s and retailers’
trust and allegiance
Marketing plays an important role in first bringing the consumer/retailer
in the know and then working to gain trust. It is about letting the
consumer/retailer know what is happening and what changes have been
made and processes put in place to ensure that their standards are
maintained or improved.
Canada came into the picture as an ‘ethical source’ because of the
international outrage over blood diamonds in developing countries. And
they’ve managed to maintain their hold not only because of their
marketing and continued oversight of their processes, but because of the
continued issues in the rest of the world. The problems with the Kimberly
Process are much publicized and so cannot positively influence
consumers on the benefits of taking diamonds from the African
continent. It is as if the KP is its own worst enemy.
As a diamond retailer, we work to gain the trust and loyalty of our
consumers by providing quality products and being socially responsible.
Because our brand is built on being a responsible company, we have to
work hard to show that we are taking steps to contribute to the industry
and trying to make a difference. Our buyers respond to this and so it
becomes an ongoing effort to keep improving our contributions to the
industry and maintaining ethical practices ourselves.
Why Bashford was founded on ethical sourcing and philanthropy
When we were looking at ways to become a socially responsible
company, we thought about allowing consumers to choose the area that
they would prefer to donate to, and it would range from a variety of
topics and industries from clean water, to replacing forests. But we
market as an ethical based company in a conflict-ridden industry and
realized that would not help to make a difference in the industry. Instead,
we chose to support the Diamond Development Initiative.

It is our hope that over time, with true support and proper regulatory
practices, the taint of blood diamonds will be removed from developing
countries and they are able to supply diamonds that do not fuel conflicts,
and are sourced in a way that benefits the people who mine these gems
and the environment.
The movie Blood Diamond, while bringing attention to the issues, have
also caused a negative connotation to be assigned to diamonds
originating from Africa. We hope that with the DDI, things will change
eventually and there are more options for consumers to identify with
‘ethical’ diamonds.
Your perspective on the ethical diamond market
The concept of what constitutes an ethical diamond market has been
evolving. Consumers are bombarded with a good deal of different
information and each idea of ‘ethical’ is being marketed as being better
than the other.
Synthetic and lab grown diamond engagement rings want to prove that
they are the most ethical diamond sources and are trying to influence
thought away from natural diamonds. This gives no thought to the
millions who can potentially lose their livelihood. We are also moving
away from only focusing on war-fueled diamonds as the conflict regions
are reduced to the things that I consider to also matter more – human
rights abuses and environmental issues. It’s not perfect, but if each does
what she or he can do to make a difference then we can at least make it
better for those who suffer the most in this industry.
It is a competitive industry with large producers pitted against small
artisanal miners. And the winners will be those that can influence and
appeal to consumers’ ideas of what is their ethical considerations.
Ours are based on our past, family history and what I’ve seen and
researched over the years. And that is what continues to guide our
operations.

인디사이드위키 - 사용자 기여 [ko]

Diamond Earrings